Midfielder Poyet, a summer signing from Charlton, made his first competitive appearance for the Hammers when he came off the bench during Saturday’s 3-1 win at Crystal Palace.

The 19-year-old says he will always cherish that moment at Selhurst Park, and he is now eyeing a first start when Sam Allardyce rotates his side for the Blades’ visit to Upton Park.

“If I have the chance to play, obviously I’ll be delighted, because it will be my home debut for West Ham,” Poyet said. “It would be a very proud moment for me and a moment I will never forget if it happens.

“I made my Premier League debut as a substitute on Saturday and it’s a moment I’ll always remember. It’s a step up and everyone can see that, either physically or technically – everybody can see that.

“I was on the bench against Tottenham and, even from watching, you can see the quality is much higher and that’s why the Premier League is probably the best in the world.”

Poyet was part of the Charlton side that were beaten by Sheffield United in the FA Cup quarter-final last season, denying them a trip to Wembley, and he insists the League One side won’t stand in his way again.

He said: “It was an away game and the stadium was packed. We had spoilt it for all their fans because we had beaten Sheffield Wednesday in the round before, when everyone expected them to beat us at Hillsborough and set up a Sheffield derby in the quarter-finals, with a trip to Wembley for the winners.

“We had spoilt it, so we were thinking ‘We’ve beaten Sheffield Wednesday so now we need to beat Sheffield United and we can go to Wembley’.

“So, up at Bramall Lane we had a brilliant chance to go 1-0 up in the second half, but we missed an open goal and then they went down the other end and scored twice in quick succession and that absolutely killed us off. It really hurt us when we lost that tie.

“I suppose it did help us to concentrate on the league and we did kick on and stay up, but we could have played Hull at Wembley, which would have been unbelievable for us, the supporters and everybody at Charlton.

“We’ve got Sheffield United and it’s going to be tough, but they took away my chance of playing at Wembley and I’ve got it in my head that I don’t want them to spoil it for me again this year.”

To read Diego Poyet’s full interview, grab a copy of Tuesday’s Official West Ham United Programme. Order online now at www.programmemaster.com or download a digital copy on matchday from iTunes for just £1.99.